Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-03-25
CHAPTER /.

one 1t three officers seated at WnisC taDo
in the messroom of the Cavalry Barracks at
Idleminster, where tie Scarlet Lanc-rs were
CHARTERED, called out. "Bootles, come and
take a hand-theres good chap"
Capt. Algernon Ferrers, more commonly
known as Boobies" looked up.
Il don't mind if do" he said, rising and
n wing towards them. "What do you want
m. 10 dos Who's my partners'
The three other men stan ed at one another
in surprise, for Bottle was one of the lest
whist players in the re .iment, and in an
OF Urinary way would as soon have thought of
counting honors as of setting the question
of partners other than b. cutting, except in
the case of a revenge.
"Whv, take a card, Of course, my FRIEND"
laughed Lacy. in a ridiculously soft voice
Lecv was a recent importation from the
White Dragons and had taken possession
of the place left vacant in BOTTLES every
day life by Scott Laurie's marriage.
'Ah, yes; to be sure-cut, of course
believe" said Bottles, looking at the three
faces Before him in an uncertain way-'1
believe I've got headache"
''Oh, nothing like whist for headache"
answered Hartog. turning up the last card.
..Ace of diamonds" However, after STUN
bling through one game after twice trump
ing his partners trick, revoke, and sew
eral such like blunders-he rose to his feet
ats no use, you fellows; I'm no good to-
night can't even see the cards Get some
one to take my place and make fresh
START
'sWhy, you're i'll, Bottles cried Preston
'sWhati itl'
Bottles promptly. "Heres Miles-the very
man. Good night"
GOOD night" called the fellows after him
Then they settled down to their game, and
Preston dealt.
"Never saw Bottles seedy BEFORE" said
Lacy.
'Oh, yes; he gets these headaches some
times" answered Hartog. "Not often,
though. Miles, your lead"
Meantime Bottles went YEARLY away, al
most feeling his road under the veranda Of
the mess rooms, along the broad pave in
front Ct the officers quarters, and up the
wide fight Of stone steps to his rooms fac
ing the green of the barrack square. Being
the senior captain, with only one bachelor
field officer in the regiment, he had two
large and pleasant rooms, not very grandly
furnished, for, though a rich man, he was
not an extravagant one, and saw no fun
in having costly goods and chattels to be at
tho tender mercies of soldier servants; but
they were neat, clean and comfortable, with
a suf8ciency Of great easy travelling chairs,
plenty of fur rugs and lots of pretty little
pictures and knick-knacks.
The fire in his sitting-room was fast dy-
ing out, but a bright and cheerful blaze il
lumined his sleeping-room, shining on the
brass knobs of his cot, on the silver orna-
mentations at the corners Of his dressing
case, on three or four scent bottles on the
tall, cretonne- petticoated toilet table, and
on the tired but Respondent figure of
Bottles himself.
He dragged the. big chair pretty near to
the fire, and dropped into it with q sigh of
relief, absolutely too sick and weary to
think about getting into bed just then. As
Hartog had said, sometimes these heada ches
seized him, but it did not happen often: in
fact, be had not had one for more than a
year-quite often enough, he said.
Well, he had teen lying In the big and
easy chair, his eyes shut and his hands hang
ing idly over the broad straps which served
for arms, for perhaps half an hour, when
to his surprise he heard a soft, rustling move.
ment behind him. His first and not un-
natural thought was that the fellows had
come to draw him, so, without moving, he
called out, ''Ohi confound it all, don't come
boring q poor devil with a headache By
Jove, it's cruelty to animals, neither more
nor less"
The soft rustling ceased, and BOTTLES closed
his eyes again, with devout prayer that
they would, in response to this appeal, take
themselves of. But presently it began
again. accompanied by sound which made
his heart jump almost into his mouth, and
beat so furiously as to be simply suffocating.
It stopped-was repeated-"The-DEVIL !"
muttered Boobies.
But it was not the devil at all-more like
q little angel, in truth; for after a moments
irresolution he sprang from his chair and
faced the horror behind him. It really was
horror to him, fer there, sitting up among
the pillows Of the cot. with the clothes
pushed back, was q baby, baby whose
short golden curls shone in the firelight-a
little child dressed in white, with pair of
wide-open, wondering eyes, as bright as
stars and as blue as sapphire,
Bottles stood in dismay staring at it.
Where in the name Of all that's wonder
full, did you come from!' he asked aloud,
keeping at q safe distance lest it should sud-
denly start bowling.
But the little stranger did not howl: on
the contrary, as its bewildereI eyes fell upon
Lcot.os' resplendenu figure, his goll L. red
scarlet jacket and gold embroidered waist
coat of white velvet, his gold laced overails
and juggling spurs. it stretched out its little
arms end cried, boo, boo, boo-r'
Boot,es took step back in his SURPRISE AMI
his headache vanished as if by magic
"By- JoveI" he exclaimed.
'.Boo-boo-boor' crowed the usurper Of
the cot, cheeriy.
Bottles went stepn nearer. why, you're
aqueer little beggar, he remarked. "Where
did you come from, chr
Tie queer little beggar" suddenly changed
lis toae, and started another system of crow
ins more triumphant and CHEEKY than tho
List.
went.
Well, what do you wantr as it struggled
fiercely to RISE and stretched out its small
arms more impatieutly than before "Want
to be lifted up, heya Oh, but dash it,"
scratching his head perplexedly, II can't
lift you up, you know; it's out of the ques-
tion-impossible. By Jove, 1 might let you
drop and smash your
'Chucke-chucka-ch Boo-oo-ool"
gobbled the baby, - II 10 were the best joks
In the world.
Boobies positively roared.
You don't mindi Well, come along,
them" approaching very gingerly, and won
dering where he should begin to get hold Of
it, so to speak.
The baby soon settled that question, hold
ing out its arms towards his neck. Then.
somehow, he gathered it up and carried it
In doubt and trepidation tc the big chair by
the fire, where the creature sat contentedly
upon his knee, the curly golden head resting
against his scarlet jacket, the soft fingers Of
one baby hand tight twined round one Of
his, the other picking and wandering aim
lessly about the scrolls and curves Of the
gold embroidery on his waistcoat
by Jovel you're jolly little chap" said
BOTTLES, just as if it could understand him.
But the question is, where did ycu come
from, and what's to be done with youf You
can't stop her., you know"
The babes big blue eyes raised themselves
to his, and the fingers which had been
twined round his made grab at his watch
chain.
"Gar-gar-garr-r il remarked, in
such evident delight that Bottles laughed
again.